National Bank of Canada FI Purchases 557,258 Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

National Bank of Canada FI increased its position in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 568.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 655,368 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 557,258 shares during the period. National Bank of Canada FI owned 0.19% of Vistra worth $77,687,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Redwood Wealth Management Group LLC bought a new position in Vistra during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. bought a new position in shares of Vistra during the third quarter valued at $30,000. Mark Sheptoff Financial Planning LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vistra in the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. CVA Family Office LLC boosted its stake in Vistra by 1,505.9% in the 3rd quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 273 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 256 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EdgeRock Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Vistra during the 2nd quarter valued at about $34,000. Institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE VST opened at $159.98 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68. Vistra Corp. has a 12-month low of $36.17 and a 12-month high of $168.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $54.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 1.16. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $137.82 and a 200 day moving average of $104.57.

Vistra declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback program on Thursday, November 7th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to repurchase up to 2.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Friday, December 20th will be issued a $0.221 dividend. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.55%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 20th. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 16.42%.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In other news, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.16, for a total transaction of $18,878,400.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 254,932 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $41,849,637.12. The trade was a 31.09 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Stephen J. Muscato sold 207,100 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.34, for a total transaction of $33,413,514.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 318,287 shares in the company, valued at approximately $51,352,424.58. This trade represents a 39.42 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.42% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on VST shares. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. BNP Paribas began coverage on Vistra in a research note on Monday, October 14th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 target price on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on Vistra in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $178.00 price target for the company. Guggenheim lifted their price objective on Vistra from $133.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of Vistra from $99.00 to $137.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 24th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $149.10.

About Vistra

Vistra Corp., together with its subsidiaries, operates as an integrated retail electricity and power generation company. The company operates through six segments: Retail, Texas, East, West, Sunset, and Asset Closure. It retails electricity and natural gas to residential, commercial, and industrial customers across states in the United States and the District of Columbia.